ADHD and school needs

[misspopsicle]

Hi all - I'm not sure if this is where I should be posting but I'll give it a bash anyway! My 8 year old DS was diag with ADHD and autistic traits almost a year ago. On the day that we got his dx, we were asked if we wanted to medicate, and as we hadn't really had a chance to think about it, said no. So, we were told that that was his case closed. Since then, he's seen no one at all from the unit who diagnosed him, and there are no meetings/provisions/anything at school for him. I'm not sure what I'm expecting but my eldest (13) is being assessed for Aspergers at the mo and had support all the way through primary school, even down to the multi-agency meetings with school/educational psychologist/speech therapist etc. Could anyone advise me if and what I should be asking for? Should he have a SENCO or similar?

At his last parents eve, the teacher moaned about his bad behaviour and pointed out that to stop it, she'd put him at a table in the corner at the back of the classroom, alone, facing the wall. I complained massively about it, and emphasised the things we use at home (I went to an Incredible Years course and that approach is much more effective with him). I feel like he has no support in school and is basically left to his own devices.

I want to make an appt to see the head, who is lovely, but I want to make sure I know what to ask for. I'm concerned that there's a bit of an 'as long as he's quiet' type attitude. I'd be so so grateful.

We're in Scotland, by the way :)

You would be better to post under the 'child' tab - one to the left of the 'education' tab, and at the bottom of that is 'chat about your child' where there are loads of people to help you and include some Scots.

Basically your school should be doing two things

1. teaching him in a way that is different from the way that works for the majority bog-standard kids in his class
2. getting some experts in to help him learn to regulate his ADHD and increase his attention span with manageable targets and rewards for increased attention and for making good decisions when his ADHD tend him to make decisions that get him into trouble

With the ASD diagnosis you could try the National Autistic Society, and see if they have expended to included Scotland, as I think they were looking at it at one point as well as Northern Ireland. 0808 800 4102. They have trained volunteers who will help parents through the process, it is just a question whether they have extended to Scotland.

Otherwise try IPSEA who have the same model and do all types of disabilities and being bigger are more likely to cover Scotland.
www.IPSEA.org.UK

Good Luck